We are getting so so SO super excited for our upcoming summer programs. We cannot wait to meet all the amazing women who will be joining us on the adventure of a lifetime right here in Florence, Italy. So in honor of what is to come (in t-minus 6 months!!), and because we miss our ladies from last year so much, we made a little video to try and capture just how much fun we had last summer and CAN’T WAIT to be having this summer. Here’s to a new year! Auguri from all of us at Select Study Abroad!
Click the link to see the video!Continue reading…

Yup. I am WAAAAAAYY behind.
But in truth, the fourth week is my least favorite thing to post about. I mean, think about it. It means the end. It means it’s all over. It means all these amazing ladies are back home and we are here. All alone. And very, very bored.
But we all need closure and the fourth week is always the time for super bonding (can it really be over?!). Our fourth week also happened to include the ever-favorite trip to Cinque Terre (hiking, beaching, pesto eating and more), our second visit to the Ronald McDonald House in Florence (where we made an American-style cake for our friends there), our second cooking class (where we made FRESH pasta!), a picnic in the Boboli gardens, fireworks (we don’t mess around), a glorious carousel ride and the (sob) final dinner.
Ugh. Wish we had a time machine.
Enjoy!

This week was a doozy, in the best of ways. Where do we even begin? First, Venice, the floating city. Arguably the most magical place on earth, in our humble opinions, and it did not disappoint. We saw the gorgeous Byzantine Basilica of San Marco (where many of us were required to purchase extra “coverage” to get in), a glass blowing demonstration, WE WENT ON GONDOLA RIDES(!!), visited the Venetian Island of Burano (aka, candy land of Italy) and Murano, visited the gorgeous church known as the Frari and the Jewish Ghetto (ok, and maybe did a little shopping too). Then this week since we thought, hey, we’re on a roll, we saw the gorgeous sculptures by Michelangelo in the Medici chapel, ogled some amazing gowns in the Costume Gallery in the Pitti Palace, got in on a killer jewelry demonstration, went to most famous museum in Florence (also in Italy, and maybe even the world), the Uffizi, and even caught Italy’s Word Cup game. Up next? Cinqueterre, but that will have to wait until next week… Enjoy!Continue reading…

Last Tuesday we made a special visit to the Ronald McDonald House here in Florence, Alpha Delta Pi’s philanthropic partner since 1979. The house, just over one year old, is the most recent addition to the Italian case Ronald, including two in Rome, one in Brescia, and one in Puglia, inaugurated between 2007 and 2013. When we talked about how we could be of assistance to this particular house, we thought, seeing as we’re in Florence–a name which originates from a latin word meaning “flowering”–a garden just seemed like the right choice. So we came to give the house a little life, leave our mark, and spread some ADPi love across an ocean. It turned into an all day affiar, which, in 95-degree weather, included a little water fight and lots of sunscreen. In the end, we were able to plant a variety of new plants, including some very special flowers under the house’s olive tree called “Bocca de Leone,” which means “Mouth of the Lion” in honor of Alpha Delta Pi’s mascot Alphie the lion. The final touch, perhaps my favorite part, was a series of garden markers made from corks that have inspirational and positive words in both English and Italian. Walking through the garden we left, we will literally lift spirits (and perhaps teach someone a little English!). Speranza. Hope. Continue reading…

Week two is coming to a close and we are looking forward to our weekend in Venice ahead! However, we are blown away, once again, at how much we were able to do in just seven days: Rome – three days of all the favorites from the Sistine Ceiling to the Colosseum and from Saint Peter’s Basilica to delicious Roman cuisine, a cooking class where we ate FOUR courses focused around different Italian cheeses (the fourth being tiramisu, which is made with mascarpone, a kind of sweet Italian cheese made from cream), we spent some time with the David (confirmed, he is NOT overrated), visited with one of the city’s oldest and most beloved shoes-makers extraordinaire, and watched a traditional Italian paper making demonstration. Of course, best of all was our visit to the Ronald McDonald house here in Florence, which, since we are already bursting at the seams this week, will have to wait to get its very own blog post (coming soon!).
Enjoy these highlights from week two: Continue reading…